Purchasing a Pressurised Navajo

[Vigo]

Anyone have any advice on purchasing a P-Nav. What sorts of things should I
watch out for. Any thoughts on the gear reduction engines?

[Rick Graves]

Vigo wrote:

> Anyone have any advice on purchasing a P-Nav. What sorts of things should
> I watch out for. Any thoughts on the gear reduction engines?

The company I worked for had a P Navajo and I had about 100 hours in it. It
was a great airplane to fly but the maintenance bills were very high. It's
been too many years to remember many specifics but I seem to remember that
it went through a lot of turbochargers. And alternators. And the Janitrol
heater was problematic. The owner used to say that he could lay in bed at
night and imagine that he could hear parts falling off of that airplane.
The real drawback, however, as I recall, was the EXTREMELY marginal single
engine performance. One of our company pilots described and engine out in
the P as a religious experience.

[NW_PILOT]

Anything with turbos can be a maintenance nightmare if not used properly but
if used properly they will last a long time. Don't matter what the
turbocharger is installed on either. My neighbor has a turbo on his truck
and he is running in to problems with it because he don't know how to
properly turn it off. He then wonders why his Bering's have gone out in 6
month's surprized that he got that out of them.



"Rick Graves" > wrote in message
m...
> Vigo wrote:
>
> > Anyone have any advice on purchasing a P-Nav. What sorts of things
should
> > I watch out for. Any thoughts on the gear reduction engines?
>
> The company I worked for had a P Navajo and I had about 100 hours in it.
It
> was a great airplane to fly but the maintenance bills were very high. It's
> been too many years to remember many specifics but I seem to remember that
> it went through a lot of turbochargers. And alternators. And the Janitrol
> heater was problematic. The owner used to say that he could lay in bed at
> night and imagine that he could hear parts falling off of that airplane.
> The real drawback, however, as I recall, was the EXTREMELY marginal single
> engine performance. One of our company pilots described and engine out in
> the P as a religious experience.

[Vigo]

"NW_PILOT" > wrote in message
...
> Anything with turbos can be a maintenance nightmare if not used properly
but
> if used properly they will last a long time. Don't matter what the
> turbocharger is installed on either. My neighbor has a turbo on his truck
> and he is running in to problems with it because he don't know how to
> properly turn it off. He then wonders why his Bering's have gone out in 6
> month's surprized that he got that out of them.
>
I think thats completly true. The current owner of the aircraft has had no
problems with the turbos. I would attribute that to him being one of the
most meticulus pilots I know.

[N. Funk]

Lost a turbo, had to declare an emergency into Baton Rouge years ago.
Luckily we didn't catch fire!


Vigo wrote:
> Anyone have any advice on purchasing a P-Nav. What sorts of things should I
> watch out for. Any thoughts on the gear reduction engines?
>
>

[REC48]

To quote a factory pilot, who shall remain nameless, "There's a whole lot of
parts inside those TIGOs and all they want to do is GET OUT!"